Booting Booty From The Bible

The word “booty” is getting the boot by the U.S. Catholic Bishops in a move to update The American Bible, which is used by millions of Catholics and other Christians. All the teenagers in Sunday School will have one less thing to laugh about now that “booty” is to be replaced by “spoils of war.”

“Booty” is not the only word that is being removed. The English words “virgin”, “cereal”, and “holocaust” are also being replaced by English words because recent trends in scholarship and linguistics.

Dozens of priests, scholars, and translators met for 17 years to hammer out a new and updated Bible for modern Catholics. Though changes in language may upset some, these changes do not mean that Church teaching will change as well. The new changes in the translation include:

Leviticus 2:1

1970: When anyone wishes to bring a cereal offering to the Lord, his offering must consist of fine flour.
2011: When anyone brings a grain offering to the Lord, the offering must consist of bran flour.

Psalm 1:1

1970: Happy the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked.
2011: Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked.

Much to the delight or bane of many, translating the original ancient Hebrew and Greek in modern English perfectly is impossible. Most of us were raised on the King James Version with “thou” and “thee” while forgetting we were reading English over 500 years old. Translation scholars at that time did not have several tools that we have today. Namely, the Dead Sea Scrolls, which are copies of biblical books from the 1st and 2nd century that gives us a better understanding of language, meaning, and accurate translation.

Debate concerning of the word “virgin” is dubious to some. The word “virgin” in Greek can mean “young girl” and not necessarily a woman who has not engaged in intercourse. Historical Christianity has always understood Mary’s status to be a young girl who did not have sex. Many will fear that this change in translation is an affront to some of the core beliefs in Christianity. The New American Bible features this change.

Regardless of how you feel about “booty” or “virgin” these changes are happening. On Ash Wednesday, March 9 you will be able to pick up your copy of the New American Bible.